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Some bloggers write as a side project, some make a reasonable living from it, and a lot of us do it because we want to be some sort of writer or a journalist. Those of us who do that are used to the struggling life of a writer, we know what it’s like to suffer in order to perfect our craft. It involves spreading ourselves far too thin, and staring at a blank white page on Word in the ugly hours of the night. Then we go to our normal jobs looking like a homeless version of one of the witches from Hocus Pocus. It is a delightful experience of everybody.

Who even gets to be a journalist now? Is it anybody who can afford to do a Masters at a prestigious journalism school? Is it someone with the right connections? Or can we chock it up to dumb luck? Journalism is one of the least secure career paths you can choose, stability is not on the cards and financially you’re not in for a pot of gold unless you’re secretly Piers Morgan. If you want to go into this field, you need a thick skin and an arrogant edge that tells you you’re the best. You’ll get no where without self belief.

These are the things I know about the path to getting your job as a writer or journalist. If you need me, I’ll be sat in a corner chewing on my hair, because this job path has driven me to insane and unbelievable actions. Read all about it, Goldilocks ruined her hair! Suffered for art! Continue reading →

Disclaimer: All views are my own and names/details are withheld for protection. Any links to my own life made by others are purely speculative.Write things people agree with, is this what we should be doing? Writers have always wanted to write what they thought as truth, provoking reaction and debate among their audience. They also write what they know, sometimes in good jest and sometimes not. When it comes to bloggers, they can write about their own lives, their opinions, and even their dinner although I have never seen the temptation to do so as I live a life dominated by cheese sandwiches. It is a blog, not a newspaper so it must be understood that we have different rules.

We adapt to our medium, and we write what we think is best for it. The best way to be noticed, is to write something people may not agree with. But what happens when you have to take back what you said? The integrity of the written word becomes compromised. You can’t retract something if it wasn’t false information, so why should you do it because someone took it too far? If we write something then have to remove it, we also risk looking like a coward. Dang nabbit.

Most writers, reporters and journalists must adhere to a strict code of conduct, and there are lines that cannot be crossed for very obvious reasons. It includes such delightful consequences such as legal action and unemployment if we discuss too much. I don’t know about you but I can’t afford the legal fees as I’m not a natural blonde and I really need my roots done. Continue reading →